State College nonprofit’s vaccination efforts led by ‘local hero’ motivated by impact on community
Centre Volunteers in Medicine’s bootstrapped effort to vaccinate thousands of Centre County residents against the coronavirus is spearheaded by a woman who has poured in at least 50 hours per week for months.
Clinical Services Director Kristi Mattzela is the nonprofit’s COVID-19 vaccine coordinator, a wide-ranging job that includes everything from placing orders to scheduling clinics.
The nationwide plan for distribution of the vaccines — which has been overseen by two presidential administrations and is different in all 50 states — has been fragmented.
But colleagues and some county residents have been quick to praise CVIM. Geisinger primary care physician and volunteer Kristen Frank-Dixon described Mattzela as “one of the most passionate, driven people” she’s met.
“I firmly believe it’s only happening because she personally has taken this upon herself to make sure that as many people get vaccinated as possible. I find it amazing,” Frank-Dixon said. “... She’s really driven to make this happen. I think she recognizes this is a tragedy in our country and sees the desperation of some people who so badly want help and want to have access to the vaccine. I see her as a local hero who is making this happen.”
Judith Vicary-Swisher and Karen Kuhn received four of the more than 5,000 doses administered by the health resource center. In separate interviews, both said they were “dumbfounded” by how smooth the process was.
They also expressed optimism when thinking about how the vaccine would change their lives.
For Vicary-Swisher, a resident of The Village at Penn State, that means getting to see her grandchildren for the first time in months.
For Kuhn, a Patton Township resident with underlying medical conditions that place her at high risk of serious illness, that means being less fearful of contracting the disease from her 80-year-old husband who still works full-time. It also means she’ll be able to meet her 1-year-old great-grandchild for the first time.
“I think this is going to change everybody’s lives tremendously,” Vicary-Swisher said. “This is going to make it so much easier for people to live a little more normally.”
Added Kuhn: “My son referred to me as the ‘canary in the coal mine’ because I’d be the first one to catch it and just drop, so everyone in our family was so relieved when we got those shots. I guess you could say we get to be human again; not feeling so cooped up and getting back out in this big, wide world again and having fun with other people.”
Mattzela said she gets “choked up” when hearing stories of what receiving the vaccine represents, whether it’s people seeing family for the first time in about a year or kids returning to school.
The wife and mother of three conceded the path has been “challenging, difficult and very stressful” at times, but knows there is hope on the horizon.
“Seeing all of that is so deeply meaningful for me and the staff of CVIM. It keeps our energy going to do more. And each person vaccinated is possibly a life saved and we take that very seriously,” Mattzela said. “Honestly, it’s hard to absorb the magnitude of it all at times and even more difficult to articulate the meaning it has on us and those we vaccinate.”
CVIM was the first provider in Centre County to administer the vaccine beyond health care personnel and long-term care facility residents.
The first clinic inoculated 30 people, but when it ended, Mattzela knew they could handle more. The second clinic served about 100 people; the same feeling persisted.
They’ve since expanded to vaccinating about 1,000 on “Super Saturdays,” the next of which is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 20 at Mount Nittany Middle School.
Those interested in being vaccinated can sign their name to a waiting list at cvim.net/covid-vaccination. Vaccinations are by appointment only.
“I never thought I would find myself working in the midst of a pandemic. To feel like there is hope at the end of the tunnel and to be able to be part of providing that hope is probably the most important thing I’ve done in my career so far,” the nearly 20-year veteran said. “And maybe for my entire career. I guess we’ll see what happens moving forward.”
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This story was originally published March 9, 2021 at 10:24 AM.